ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
With the players at hand this was the best possible outcome as I think Staggs understands the relative importance of the P&R segment in supporting the rest of the TWDC enterprise.
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Staggs promoted to COO
- Thread starter Scuttle
- Start date
With the players at hand this was the best possible outcome as I think Staggs understands the relative importance of the P&R segment in supporting the rest of the TWDC enterprise.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
Yep. I remember the zebras. The ride is fine for what it is. But I still find it lacks a little. Out local zoo has a tram ride past animal exhibits. It's not on the same scope or scale. But it's really not all THAT different. You ride past animals in both.
Staggs > Rasulo for sure
Although I'm not sure who I could put in that equation that cause me to change the direction of the symbol.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Definitely agreed.
SnarkyMonkey
Well-Known Member
My first impressions are that Staggs is a good decision. I like him and I like the things he has done that I know about. I'm curious to see if he will move on to CEO.
FigmentJedi
Well-Known Member
I do wish they at least kept the Wilson radio chatter around. "They are called tommies! Tomm-ies!" was one of the most memorable lines of dialog from the park.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
I have yet to see a picture of Iger in any environment where he looked anything but miserable. I wanted to give Meryl Streep a hug after she was forced to sit next to him at the Golden Globes.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
The thing is at least Staggs brings his kids to the park on a regular basis as a GUEST, Sure he has a VIP guide but only ONE. Iger and Rasulo NEVER visit the parks as guests.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
I do miss some of the Safari poacher storyline (mostly hearing Wilson) but to be honest, it's actually a lot more enjoyable to just ride around, hear about the animals and have a nice ride without the "stress" of there having to be a storyline in everything just to have a storyline.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
I do miss Wilson's chatter it really added to the experience.
Kman101
Well-Known Member
Me too. LOL. He always looks so uncomfortable and miserable.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
Iger's public face and body language at events in recent years have been quite telling.
Bob Iger seems to have gotten to that point in his life, as many older men do, where almost everything is mildly annoying to him. Iger's face is also the beneficiary of some expertly crafted Botox, fillers, and light resurfacing. Can you imagine what his expression would look like without that work?
If Iger was a Sixtysomething plumber instead of a big CEO, he would be that semi-cranky guy on the block who over obsesses about his lawn and/or the wax job on his Buick, and grumps at neighborhood barbeques about the latest school board decision.
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Staggs was the head of Strategic Planning. That sin should be unforgivable.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
I figure what remained of his heart shriveled up and died the day he realized he didn't have a career in politics waiting for him after he retired.
CaptainAmerica
Premium Member
IowaHawks7
Well-Known Member
Im actually quite happy with the promotion of Staggs. And hopefully he becomes the next CEO. He knows this company inside and out from the early 90s. It would be hard to name a better candidate in my opinion. I know people may scream out loud for John Lasseter but honestly would he even be that good as CEO? The CEO oversees everything, yes John would be great overseeing the Studio and perhaps even the parks but people often forget that the current Walt Disney Co. is more than just those 2 divisions (as much as we may not like it). Staggs is the best choice in my opinion for the next CEO and a great hire as a COO.
lebeau
Well-Known Member
I stand by my earlier statement. That man is dead inside.
To paraphrase a legendary sailor:
"he's got... lifeless eyes, black eyes, like a doll's eye."
This was a speech by Roy Disney at the 2004 Disney Shareholder meeting. Directed as Eisner and Iger, it still rings very true to day.
"First of all, I want to thank everyone for your many letters and emails and all your encouragement in this campaign.
Stanley has talked about why we need to make a change. I want to spend a few minutes talking about what kind of change we need.
The Walt Disney Company is more than just a business. It is an authentic American icon — which is to say that over the years it has come to stand for something real and meaningful and worthwhile to millions of people of all ages and backgrounds around the world.
This is not something you can describe easily on a balance sheet, but it is tangible enough. Indeed, it is the foundation on which everything we have accomplished as a company — both artistically and financially — is based.
I believe our mission has always been to be bringers of joy, to be affirmers of the good in each of us, to be — in subtle ways — teachers. To speak, as Walt once put it, "not to children but to the child in each of us."
We do this through great storytelling, by giving our guests a few hours in another world where their cares can be momentarily put aside, by creating memories that will remain with them forever.
This is the core of what we've come to call "Disney," and to my mind, our single biggest need is to get back to that core.
In my view, the essence of who we are lies in the business of film — especially animation — and the stories, characters, music, and humor that well-made films generate. This is the engine that drives the train, and everything we do as a company basically flows from it.
You will note that I refer to our film work as a business. Whatever else it may be, it is always that as well — a business that needs to be run on a sound basis by people who are sensible as well as sensitive.
My Dad was quoted once as saying, "It's easy to make decisions, once you know what your values are." Unfortunately, our corporate values have been compromised in recent years.
In large part, this is the result of a cynical management's belief that, in the absence of ideas, the road to success is to cut back on everyone and everything that once made you successful, that you don't really need to give your guests value for money, that creativity and originality are luxuries you can no longer afford … that art and artists are commodities to be bought and sold like any other office supply.
To me, the wrong-headedness of these beliefs is self-evident.
The creative process is the lifeblood of the Disney Company. If it is to thrive, we must do everything possible to establish an environment in which it can once again flourish.
Creativity is a funny thing — difficult to quantify, but obvious when it's missing. It's a living, breathing force with a life of its own, and it tends to flower among individuals or small groups. It doesn't always show up on demand … or at convenient times or places. And it often gets killed by committees or by something called strategic planning. So we need to always be on the lookout for ways to nurture it, and not let it be trampled by a lowest-common-denominator mentality.
One of creativity's worst enemies is something I call "Institution Think." This is a very tricky issue. After all, Disney is an institution. But that doesn't mean it has to think like one.
Let me tell you about the danger of Institution Think: It is often said that our company's most valuable asset is the Disney name. You'll get no argument from me. I kind of like the name myself. But, in recent times, there's been a tendency to refer to it as the "Disney brand." To me, this degrades Disney into a "thing" to be bureaucratically managed, rather than a "name" to be creatively championed. And lately I've been seeing Mickey receive this treatment too, as well as Pooh and a lot of others.
As I've said on other occasions, branding is something you do to cows. It makes sense if you're a rancher, since cows do tend to look alike. It's also useful to lots of businessmen, and they brand things like detergents or shoes for almost the same reason as ranchers. Branding is what you do when there's nothing original about your product.
But there is something original about our products. Or at least there used to be. Our name already means something to consumers.
I really believe that if we keep thinking of Disney as a "brand," we will lose all the meaning that has been built into those six letters for more than three-quarters of a century. We need to get back to thinking of it as a "name" that needs to be prized and enhanced, escape the clutches of Institution Think and resume our trajectory of creative and financial success.
How did the Disney Company create enormous shareholder value in the past? Two ways: first by trusting the talents and imagination of its creative people — and then by supporting them with the resources they required.
I don't care what current management may tell you. The plain fact is, you can't fool all the people all the time. Nor can you succeed in our business by trying to get by on the cheap. Consumers know when they are getting value for their money, and they know when you're trying to sell them second-hand goods.
So what kind of change do we need to make? It's really quite simple. We need to install a new management team, one that understands and believes in the enormously valuable legacy that's been entrusted to us.
Speaking as someone with the last name of "Disney," it is my firm belief that we are not a commodity. As long as we continue to believe in the power of creative ideas, then our best years still lie ahead.
Thank you for your attention."
"First of all, I want to thank everyone for your many letters and emails and all your encouragement in this campaign.
Stanley has talked about why we need to make a change. I want to spend a few minutes talking about what kind of change we need.
The Walt Disney Company is more than just a business. It is an authentic American icon — which is to say that over the years it has come to stand for something real and meaningful and worthwhile to millions of people of all ages and backgrounds around the world.
This is not something you can describe easily on a balance sheet, but it is tangible enough. Indeed, it is the foundation on which everything we have accomplished as a company — both artistically and financially — is based.
I believe our mission has always been to be bringers of joy, to be affirmers of the good in each of us, to be — in subtle ways — teachers. To speak, as Walt once put it, "not to children but to the child in each of us."
We do this through great storytelling, by giving our guests a few hours in another world where their cares can be momentarily put aside, by creating memories that will remain with them forever.
This is the core of what we've come to call "Disney," and to my mind, our single biggest need is to get back to that core.
In my view, the essence of who we are lies in the business of film — especially animation — and the stories, characters, music, and humor that well-made films generate. This is the engine that drives the train, and everything we do as a company basically flows from it.
You will note that I refer to our film work as a business. Whatever else it may be, it is always that as well — a business that needs to be run on a sound basis by people who are sensible as well as sensitive.
My Dad was quoted once as saying, "It's easy to make decisions, once you know what your values are." Unfortunately, our corporate values have been compromised in recent years.
In large part, this is the result of a cynical management's belief that, in the absence of ideas, the road to success is to cut back on everyone and everything that once made you successful, that you don't really need to give your guests value for money, that creativity and originality are luxuries you can no longer afford … that art and artists are commodities to be bought and sold like any other office supply.
To me, the wrong-headedness of these beliefs is self-evident.
The creative process is the lifeblood of the Disney Company. If it is to thrive, we must do everything possible to establish an environment in which it can once again flourish.
Creativity is a funny thing — difficult to quantify, but obvious when it's missing. It's a living, breathing force with a life of its own, and it tends to flower among individuals or small groups. It doesn't always show up on demand … or at convenient times or places. And it often gets killed by committees or by something called strategic planning. So we need to always be on the lookout for ways to nurture it, and not let it be trampled by a lowest-common-denominator mentality.
One of creativity's worst enemies is something I call "Institution Think." This is a very tricky issue. After all, Disney is an institution. But that doesn't mean it has to think like one.
Let me tell you about the danger of Institution Think: It is often said that our company's most valuable asset is the Disney name. You'll get no argument from me. I kind of like the name myself. But, in recent times, there's been a tendency to refer to it as the "Disney brand." To me, this degrades Disney into a "thing" to be bureaucratically managed, rather than a "name" to be creatively championed. And lately I've been seeing Mickey receive this treatment too, as well as Pooh and a lot of others.
As I've said on other occasions, branding is something you do to cows. It makes sense if you're a rancher, since cows do tend to look alike. It's also useful to lots of businessmen, and they brand things like detergents or shoes for almost the same reason as ranchers. Branding is what you do when there's nothing original about your product.
But there is something original about our products. Or at least there used to be. Our name already means something to consumers.
I really believe that if we keep thinking of Disney as a "brand," we will lose all the meaning that has been built into those six letters for more than three-quarters of a century. We need to get back to thinking of it as a "name" that needs to be prized and enhanced, escape the clutches of Institution Think and resume our trajectory of creative and financial success.
How did the Disney Company create enormous shareholder value in the past? Two ways: first by trusting the talents and imagination of its creative people — and then by supporting them with the resources they required.
I don't care what current management may tell you. The plain fact is, you can't fool all the people all the time. Nor can you succeed in our business by trying to get by on the cheap. Consumers know when they are getting value for their money, and they know when you're trying to sell them second-hand goods.
So what kind of change do we need to make? It's really quite simple. We need to install a new management team, one that understands and believes in the enormously valuable legacy that's been entrusted to us.
Speaking as someone with the last name of "Disney," it is my firm belief that we are not a commodity. As long as we continue to believe in the power of creative ideas, then our best years still lie ahead.
Thank you for your attention."